Cities are dynamic places, the result of a constant yet fragmented process of building, erasure and reconstruction that accumulates over time.

Hidden within our built environment—from street patterns to buildings, monuments to place names—are the traces of this process. They are juxtaposed fragments of different moments within the history of this land. To read these layers is to recognize the multiple stories that have shaped the collective, multi-generational project that is Toronto. Yet we must also understand that this process is anything but arbitrary. Each generation’s priorities and values are critical in deciding what we keep, what we attempt to erase, and whose stories are given priority in our city’s built form.

Join the Toronto Society of Architects and Doors Open Toronto for our 2024 Architects Talk as our speakers engage in a series of fast-paced lightning presentations that will reveal some of the many layers that make up our city. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A where we will further explore the relationship between our city, its multiple histories, and its ongoing transformation.